The teenager was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at a home near the town of Fairbanks after a neighbor reported shots fired, an Alaska State Trooper spokesman said. Officers who responded to the call discovered four children, aged five, eight, 17 and 15, dead inside the property. They said the children’s parents were not home at the time of the incident and three other children, all under the age of seven, were found unharmed. Authorities are still investigating any possible motive behind the fatal incident, according to the Associated Press. Troopers added that the gun used was a “family gun” but “is still part of the ongoing investigation.” It’s also unclear whether the 15-year-old has had previous run-ins with law enforcement and whether investigations into those are ongoing. The children’s bodies have been taken to the state medical examiner for further investigation and children’s services have been notified.
